leadership

the big battles ahead for corporate finance

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advisory board members say it’s happening “whether a cfo chooses to do it or not.”

by the center for accounting transformation
improvetheworld.net

according to a group of corporate finance professionals, one of the most significant issues facing corporate finance teams is refocusing team members toward higher-value work such as interpreting data and advising on issues and solutions rather than allowing them to continue performing rote, manual tasks.

related:  top issues for 2022: talent, time, and transformation

learn more about the center’s audit advisory board or view the center’s transformation courses.

“the biggest risk that is clear to me is to continue the antiquated and outdated people strategies, performance, process, understanding, lagging platform adoption, and not understanding the deep relationships that we need to build instead of keeping the status quo,” offered chris ortega, ceo of fresh fp&a. “to me, that is 100% the biggest risk that we now face in the accounting and finance  space.”

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when an employee’s growth has gaps

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older man and younger man in meetingwhere did all that experience go?

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

we hired sam out of school and he worked for us for two and a half years and then we split up our firm. this was ages ago and sy and i left our third partner to form our new firm on jan. 1.

more: my first trainee | the growing pains of a small firm | giving clients the best you’ve got | why map programs are essential | how to become a specialist | secrets in specialties | making sure the son got proper credit | yes, shirt logos can matter | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting | family trees of clients | preparing for the worst (thanks to my wife)
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

however, there is a valuable lesson here and i think it is worth sharing. it changed the way we hired staff.
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the art of leadership: empowerment

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but there has to be accountability.

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

editor’s note: zecca’s new book, “leading from the edge – creating a standout, high-performing organization,” focuses on the leadership needed for accounting firms to succeed in a future of seismic disruptors. in this special series, he addresses key aspects of “edge leadership” and the challenges most accounting firm leaders (all leaders for that matter) are facing today. the first article in this series focused on strategy because leading a firm without a strategic roadmap is like walking on a treadmill – no matter how fast you move or how long you tread, you end up just looking at the same wall.

a characteristic of a great “edge” leader is the ability to empower everyone, understanding that your responsibility is to lead and not manage as a leader. if a leader does not have the confidence in their leadership and/or their leadership team to empower those who they lead, the result is managing everything versus leading everyone.

more: the art of leadership, lesson one: strategy
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

why is empowerment the second leadership concept in this series? a characteristic of a great “edge” leader is the ability to empower everyone, understanding that, as a leader, your responsibility is to lead and not manage. if leaders do not have the confidence in their leadership and/or their leadership team to empower those who they lead, the result is managing everything versus leading everyone.
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don’t overlook office relationships

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two businesspeople meeting over coffeethey’re simple, but not easy.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

business can usually be conducted by phone, videoconference or in person. it really doesn’t matter the approach; what is important is how you comport yourself – irrespective of whether the individual(s) with whom you are dealing are superiors, peers or subordinates.

more: how to deliver authentic value | making the jump from small to mid-sized firm | what sets your firm apart … if anything? | why deadlines get missed | too busy? you may need to reprioritize | is it time to outsource?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i can’t tell you how many times i have witnessed conversations that were best conducted behind closed doors. the old adage of praise in public, criticize in private is underused or completely ignored.
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my first trainee

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leads to new opportunities.confident businessman analyzing chart and explaining it to co-worker

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i was fortunate early on in my career that i had a boss who gave me responsibility to supervise. on some level i was not really instructed how to supervise, but was told i could use the new person to help me get my work done.

more: the growing pains of a small firm | giving clients the best you’ve got | secrets in specialties | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting | when cpas leave to work for a client | when parents, children hit an impasse
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this was precipitated by an email i received from the first person ever i supervised. i had not spoken to him since working with him in 1968. he emailed me because he read one of my columns and just wanted to say hello. i remembered him and then i recalled how i got started training him – he was the first person i trained.
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